Welcome to Cathar Tours and our guided walking holidays in
Aude, Languedoc, South West France. Our walking tours are centre based and are
designed primarily for couples of varying ages and abilities.
The modern région
of Languedoc covers only a fraction of the lands where Occitan or the
langue d'oc – the language of oc, once dominated. Bas
Languedoc covers an area stretching from
Agen in the North West through
Toulouse
and across to
Nimes
in the North East down through the
Camargue and Montpellier to
Perpignan in the South.
It is a region of outstanding and contrasting natural beauty and steeped in
medieval history.
The department of
Aude occupies the bottom right of the region of Languedoc and takes its name
from the river that runs through the department rising in the
Pyrenees where it makes its
dramatic descent through the gorges in the high valley (Haute Vallee) after
which it meanders across the plains to finally meet the Mediterranean at the
ancient roman city of Narbonnne.
The departmental administration is based in
Carcassonne where within a short walk can be found the magnificent ancient Cité of
Carcassonne
surrounded by not one but two high ramparts and boasts an incredible 52
towers. Aude is also the land of the romantic Cathar castles which are in
abundance from which we have taken our name.
Audes spectacular and
varied landscape makes the area ideal for walking. The high mountain paths
and meadows, the plains and the coastal nature reserves offer walking at all
levels and abilities making it one of the most popular walking areas in
France.
One important factor
that contributes to the popularity of the area with walkers is the climate.
The region benefits from a late autumn, early spring and a short winter.
This makes it possible for us to walk virtually all year with just a short
break between mid July till early September due to excessive temperatures
(around 35/40 deg C).
For all our walking holidays you
will be based in high quality three star accommodation located on the banks
of the river Aude just south of the famous medieval city of Carcassonne.
Your breakfast and evening meals are included in the cost of your holiday as
are packed lunches when walking. The cost of your English speaking guide,
excursions, collection and drop off at Carcassonne airport and all
transportation to and from your walks is also included.
All your walks are marked, tested and graded by the
Fédération Française de la Randonne Pédestre (FFRP) who
are the only officially recognised walking body in France. The FFRP gives a 1 to
4 grading on all their walks based on level of difficulty, time to
complete and are classed as either very easy, easy, moderate or difficult although in
this region the difficult grading is more to do with time than physical
challenge. All the walks are in Aude within the Languedoc region of South West
France. Our walks cater for walkers of all levels of ability.
